Kentucky Targets '15 Season For Completion Of Commonwealth Stadium Renovations

Construction workers at the Univ. of Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium "will continue work through" the '14 football season with "the goal of completing renovations" before the '15 season begins, according to Nick Gray of the LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER. The $110M stadium project "will continue on non-game days, forcing some changes to the way fans enter" on game days. UK Assistant AD/Media Relations Tony Neely said that seating capacity "will be down" about 6,000 this year compared to '13 "because of construction in the south upper deck." He added that Rows 22 through 39 have been removed "in favor of a new structure that will rise above the upper deck and hold luxury suites, along with a new press box." About 2,000 season-ticket holders "held seats in the removed area." Those holders "were allowed to choose where they wanted to move" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 7/24).

RUPP CLOSE & PERSONAL: Louisville-based WHAS-CBS' Doug Proffitt reported UK President Eli Capilouto's "vision for UK's future outweighed the prospect of asking the state of Kentucky for more money to invest in a new Rupp Arena." Currently, $1B in new construction at UK "is underway that is all self-financed." The construction includes new student housing and Capilouto said that the school's "priorities of campus, education, service and research meant he couldn't see himself asking the state for millions for the basketball arena." Proffitt noted Capilouto "hopes talks about Rupp Arena continue, but in a private venue -- not publicly" (WHAS-CBS, 7/22).